At the age of fifteen Tom Crean ran away from his home in southwest Ireland and became one of the most indestructible heroes in the history of Antarctic exploration. Crean took part in three of the four great Antarctic expeditions, played a key role in two of exploration's most epic stories of endurance and survival and served under both Scott and Shackleton, the great rivals of the time, outliving them both.

Participants in the film include Ranulph Fiennes - one of the world's leading polar explorers, Reinhold Messner - probably the world's greatest mountaineer - ever, Will Steger - North America's leading Polar Explorer and members of the Shackleton & Crean families. Using these contributors & a wealth of photographic and film archive - this one-hour documentary will for the first time tell Crean's astonishing life of adventure, heroism and survival against the odds.

Tom Crean was a poorly educated farmer's son who rose from obscurity to be at the centre of the dramatic events, which shaped the early history of 20th century exploration. After spending more time in Antarctica than any other explorer, he retired to Anascaul; Ireland in 1917 where he ran a pub called the South Pole Inn. At the time of his return Ireland was slipping towards war and any associations with the British were deeply unpopular. He lived out the rest of his days in anonymity, refusing to discuss any of his extraordinary polar exploits.